Opening Convocation is a tradition at SMU that is not to be missed!
All new first-year and transfer students are invited and encouraged to attend Opening Convocation. At this event, you will be formally welcomed to the SMU community in a ceremony dating back to 1915, in the very first days of the University. Highlights of the ceremony include the faculty in full academic regalia and Dr. Ron Moss, Dean of Admission, formally presenting the new class of students to the President, SMU administrators and the professors. The convocation speaker, Jeffrey Talley, the new chair of the Department of Environmental and Civil Engineering and Bobby B. Lyle Professor of Leadership and Global Entrepreneurship, will offer enriching words to set you on your new course of academic discovery.
An important part of Opening Convocation is the Rotunda Passage.
Marching to Opening Convocation, you will pass through the Rotunda of Dallas Hall, SMU's first building and a historical landmark. Recognizing that every undergraduate student at SMU has crossed through the Dallas Hall rotunda, you will have an opportunity to reflect on your passage to college and your intellectual and personal growth for your next years at SMU.
Graduating students confirm year after year that the full impact of Rotunda Passage is not felt until their graduation and the Rotunda Recessional, another SMU tradition when seniors walk through the rotunda of Dallas Hall in reverse and their thoughts turn back to the beginning of their SMU experience.
